Building your company website

Posted June 6, 2016

Having a website is crucial to the longevity of any business. But you may as well not have one if it fails to deliver in the way you want it to. It’s not enough to simply have a website – you need to have a good website that fits into your long term marketing goals. It will often serve as a first impression of your business for potential customers, so there are many things you need to consider when making your foray into web design briefs. Here are some things you need to decide before you take your website plans further.

What do you want to achieve?

Are you looking for sales, brand awareness, or something else? Knowing what the goal of your website is will shape the design. If you’re looking at a sales-centric idea, the layout of your website will follow that. Widgets promoting sales and focusing on customer service are just a couple of the examples how to change the layout and feel of the website; compared to styles focused on other aspects of your business. Choosing different credentials – from your ethics, to your products, to your story – will completely transform your website.

What does your brand say?

Whatever you decide for the focus of your website, it needs to be in harmony with your established brand. Take into account everything from colour schemes to the tone of your business to build a website that is consistent with your image. Anything too different will be jarring for customers who have set expectations. You need to create a smooth transition from your reputation to your website to attract loyal customers.

What is your budget?

The quality of your website will most likely be dictated by your budget. How much you invest and where you invest that money is essential to the outcome of the project. Good websites are affordable, but perfect websites are worth spending extra money on. Some businesses don’t see IT-related projects as a priority and consequently find themselves lacking in that area. Why miss out on future sales and awareness because of underfunding? A website is a long-term investment that will steadily help the business as long as it’s live.

Do you know an expert?

If you feel out of your depth or need some direction, there are many web design consultants available. They can run through everything with you, from the very basics (such as deciding between a template or making a site from scratch) to the trickier parts that require an expert’s knowledge. Their experience and portfolio can help you achieve what you want with your website.

You need to balance aesthetics with practicality and seriously think about an allocated budget. If you can create the optimal website for your business, results will soon follow. We’re living in the digital age, so it only follows that your business must become digital as well. A website serves as a solid anchor from you which you can steady your business in the tumultuous online landscape.